


The Tingly Thing

by tstansetis



Series: Aedan Trevelyan [5]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: M/M, Past Tranquility, Tranquil Inquisitor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-16
Updated: 2015-10-16
Packaged: 2018-04-26 16:30:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5011789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tstansetis/pseuds/tstansetis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cullen overhears a conversation between Inquisitor Aedan Trevelyan and his companion, Dorian. He's incredibly curious about this "tingling" that Dorian mentions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Tingly Thing

**Author's Note:**

> This is meant to be a followup piece to Love You Whole, but can be read independently. 
> 
> Aedan Trevelyan is my Inquisitor who needs to be taken away from me before I do something else bad to him. He was made Tranquil after becoming Inquisitor, and has since been cured. He and Cullen have been together since before he was made Tranquil.
> 
> Also, I have SUCH A WEAK SPOT for magic during sex. This is Anders' fault.

The Commander hummed happily as he descended the steps from the battlements, a smile on his face as the autumn wind ruffled his curls. Weeks had passed since he’d last seen his lover - the Inquisitor was a busy man, Cullen certainly understood, and Aedan had written him as often as he could, but _Maker_ , he’d missed him.

He caught sight of him a moment later, standing beside Dorian with his back to Cullen, and his heart fluttered excitedly. As he approached, intent on surprising his lover by catching his hips, he paused at what he heard.

“I must know, _Inquisitor_ ,” Dorian chuckled, “have you shown our dear Commander the wondrous things that you can do with those magic fingers?”

Aedan tilted his head, tucking a stray strand of hair behind one ear, and Cullen could imagine the adorably puzzled expression on his face as he asked, “What on earth do you mean, Dorian?”

“You know…” the man smirked, “the _tingly_ thing.”

Aedan gasped sharply, throwing one hand over his mouth and swatting Dorian’s shoulder with the other.

“Dorian!” he hissed as the other man cackled, “ _Hush!_ ”

Cullen raised an eyebrow, curious, and continued closer, pressing a finger to his lips when Dorian’s eyes met his. The man chuckled, dipping his head in a nod as Cullen took another step, grinning.

Aedan let out a surprised yelp when Cullen caught his hips and leaned in, lips a breath away from the shell of his lover’s ear.

“Hello, love,” the Commander murmured, “I’ve missed you.”

The mage let out a happy sound, turning his head and raising a hand to cup Cullen’s cheek, “Cullen! Maker’s breath, you startled me!” he laughed, pressing a soft kiss to the man’s stubbled cheek. Cullen chuckled, giving his hips a little squeeze.

“Blame Dorian,” he nuzzled Aedan’s neck, “he’s the one who didn’t warn you.”

“Only because your boyfriend told me not to,” Dorian laughed indignantly, “do not shove that blame on me, Commander.”

“Chess later?”

“Absolutely,” the Tevinter chuckled, “now, I am going to leave, as I would rather not watch the two of you be disgusting.”

“Good, shoo,” Aedan giggled, turning his body fully to wrap his arms around Cullen’s neck. He stood on his toes, pressing their foreheads together with a grin. The Commander hummed happily, squeezing Aedan’s hips again as he tilted his head to kiss him.

He’d think about...whatever it was that had embarrassed Aedan so much later. Right now, he had other things to attend to.

 

~~

 

“Check.”

“You’re such a _bastard_ ,” Dorian tutted, studying the board with a frown, “how on earth does a farm boy from Ferelden pick up chess so well?”

“A lot of time in the barracks, I suppose,” Cullen chuckled, “on off days for Templar trainees, there isn’t much to do.”

“I suppose that’s fair. Spare time is how _anyone_ picks up this dreadful game.”

The two of them settled into a comfortable silence for a moment before Cullen cleared his throat.

“There is...something that I have been meaning to speak with you about, Dorian.”

“Oh? You aren’t about to profess your undying love for me, are you?”

Cullen turned red, stuttering, “O-of course not. I merely wanted to ask…” he paused, hesitating, “I...heard you speaking with Aedan the other day, at the gates. And...you mentioned something that flustered him. What...what was it?”

“You’ll have to be much more specific, Commander. I’m very good at flustering people.”

The man sighed, “You...mentioned something _tingling_.”

Dorian stared at him oddly for a moment before bursting into helpless laughter, doubling over in his seat and holding his stomach. Cullen blinked, clearly stunned.

“Wh-what on earth is so funny!?”

“Maker’s breath,” Dorian wheezed, “I-I can’t-”

“ _What?!_ ”

The mage shook his head, standing (with some difficulty) and turning away, still crowing as he  made his way out of the courtyard. Cullen stared after him, more confused than when he’d started.

_Alright, then…_ he thought, brow furrowing as he stood, _I suppose I’ll have to ask someone else._

~~

 

Cullen’s brow was still furrowed as he climbed the stairs to the upper balcony of Skyhold’s throne room, where Lady Vivienne had made her space.

_She is a mage,_ Cullen reasoned, _and Dorian **did** mention magic...perhaps she will know what he was referring to._

The Commander counted himself lucky that the woman rarely left the balcony as he approached.

“Lady Vivienne?” he called her name, and she looked up from the book she’d been idly thumbing through as she sat in the high-backed, cushioned armchair.

“Commander Cullen,” she regarded him curiously, but with a polite smile, as always, “have you trekked all the way up here to see me, my dear? To what do I owe this visit?”

“I...had a question for you, actually,” he flushed a bit, rubbing the back of his neck, “I believe it is related to some sort of magic.”

“Oh?”

“I asked Dorian, but he...would not answer me.”

“I see,” she hummed, closing the book and standing, “perhaps I can be of more assistance, then.”

“Of course,” he smiled a bit, “you see, I heard him speaking with the Inquisitor, when they returned from Orlais, and...he asked if Aedan had ever...done...something involving tingling?”

Cullen did not think that anything could have surprised him more than Dorian’s outburst of laughter, but seeing the Lady Vivienne’s face turn eight different shades of red over the course of one minute proved that he had been very, very wrong.

To her credit, the woman collected herself rather quickly. She cleared her throat, straightening her shoulders a bit.

“Ah, darling, that is...not something that you should hear about from me,” she avoided his gaze with a sigh, “I would recommend seeking someone else’s expertise.”

The Commander blinked at her, clearly confused.

“But-”

“I will not.”

“...very well,” he said slowly, “thank you for your time, Lady Vivienne.”

“Of course, my dear, but perhaps the next time we speak, we should keep our conversation at a professional level.” the woman hummed dryly, returning to her seat and her book. Cullen stared for a moment before clearing his throat, turning, and heading back down the stairs.

_Well._

 

~~

 

Cullen was running out of options.

He hesitated only for a moment before taking a deep breath and opening the door, stepping into the elven mage’s room. He paused, looking up to admire the hand-painted walls.

“Ah, Commander Cullen,” Solas’ voice drew him out of his distraction, “is there something that you needed?”

The man cleared his throat and nodded, “I...yes. I had a question about...a certain type of magic, it seems.”

Solas straightened, his pointed ears visibly perking up at the words, and smiled.

“By all means, ask. I will do what I can to help you.”

Cullen sighed, relieved, “Thank you.” he cleared his throat again, running a hand through his hair, “I...overheard Dorian speaking with the Inquisitor. Asking him. About...some sort of...tingling...magic? I was wondering if you could…”

He looked up, much less shocked than he would have been hours ago to see Solas staring at him, his nose wrinkled in what Cullen could only describe as a mixture of embarrassment and disgust. Both men were silent for a moment, after which Cullen cleared his throat yet again, standing up a bit straighter.

“Perhaps...I should speak with the Inquisitor.”

“Yes,” Solas agreed slowly, “Perhaps you should.”

 

~~

 

Aedan’s fingers worked gently at Cullen’s temples, healing magic at their tips, soothing away the headache that the Commander had gained over the course of the day. Cullen let out a sigh, his eyes closed and head resting in the Inquisitor’s lap, content for a moment to relax with his lover in their shared bed in Aedan’s quarters. Still, he couldn’t stop wondering...

Cullen opened his eyes, sitting up and sighing.

“I need to ask you something, Aedan.”

The mage was clearly somewhat alarmed at his sudden movement, blinking at him with large, sky-colored eyes that made his heart melt.

“Anything, love,” Aedan was saying, “what is it?”

“I...I need to know what Dorian said to you the other day.”

The Inquisitor smiled, amused, “Dorian speaks with me quite often, you know.”

“He...said something to you, when you returned from Orlais. And you swatted him for it. Something about _tingling_.”

He watched with great interest as a brilliant flush bloomed across his lover’s freckled face.

“O-oh, I...I didn’t...realize that you’d heard that…” Aedan stammered shyly. Cullen nodded, waiting for him to continue, and the Inquisitor sighed softly, “you...know that experienced mages have...extraordinary control over their magical abilities.”

“Of course…”

“With...the right amount of...ability to control our magic, we are able to use it in more...delicate...situations.”

Cullen’s face went red, “O-oh. _Oh._ ”

“...yes.”

“...and...he was asking if we had ever…”

“Exactly.”

“...ah,” Cullen cleared his throat, “I...I see.”

The Commander looked down, studying the weave of the quilt beneath them for a moment before furrowing his brow, allowing his gaze to travel back up to Aedan’s flushed face.

“Why...did you not bring this up before? Or...show me?” his lover bit his lip and averted his gaze, seemingly ashamed of himself, “...love?”

“I did not...think that you would want to try it,” the mage admitted. Cullen frowned.

“Do you want to?”

Aedan hesitated, “I...I would...like to, but-”

“Then we can,” Cullen nodded, smiling softly and reaching out to take Aedan’s hand, “I want to explore new things with you. I’ll admit, it had never crossed my mind, but if you’ve been thinking about it…”

“...are you sure?”

“Of course, love,” he murmured, cupping Aedan’s face with his free hand and running his thumb over his lover’s cheekbone, “I’ll gladly try it.”

The mage studied Cullen’s face for a moment, his freckles still covered by a pretty red flush, before sitting up a little straighter, wrapping his arms around Cullen’s neck and kissing him hard.

Cullen let out a surprised sound against Aedan’s lips as he fell back onto the mattress, the Inquisitor shifting to straddle his lover’s hips as they kissed, one hand combing through Cullen’s hair as the other slid down to the hem of his white undershirt. His fingertips felt cool against Cullen’s skin, though not unpleasantly so, and his palm, once pressed to Cullen’s hip, noticeably warm, making the man shudder and groan quietly. Aedan broke the kiss, pulling back just enough to catch his breath and lick his lips as he searched Cullen’s face for any sign of distress. He chuckled softly.

“I’m alright, love,” he murmured gently, “it feels nice.”

Aedan smiled, clearly relieved, and leaned in to nuzzle Cullen’s neck with a soft hum. The larger man chuckled quietly, hands moving between them to unfasten Aedan’s tunic.

“Maker,” he mumbled, after a moment, “whoever made this gave it far too many buttons.”

The mage hummed quietly, nipping lightly at Cullen’s throat, “I’m certain that their plan was to foil our plans of lovemaking.”

“Of course it was,” Cullen groaned at the playful bite, “those bastards.”

The Commander made a triumphant sound once he reached the last button, slipping his hands inside and pushing the fabric off of his lover’s narrow shoulders. He let out a quiet, revered sigh as his eyes raked over Aedan’s upper body, making the mage flush and swallow.

“I cannot _think_ when you look at me that way,” he mumbled. Cullen chuckled, a smirk teasing at his lips.

“I do not believe that you tend to do much thinking at times like this, anyway,” he teased. Aedan swatted at his shoulder playfully.

“You _hush._ ”

Cullen laughed warmly, sitting up a bit and catching Aedan’s lips in another heated kiss, which the mage happily returned, both hands sliding down Cullen’s still-covered chest, still icy-hot over the fabric.

Aedan pulled back after a moment to push his lover’s shirt over his head, the two of them laughing softly as he did so. Cullen smiled, reaching up again to cup Aedan’s cheek.

“Maker, but you are beautiful. And I love you so much,” he whispered, emotion thick in his voice as he swept Aedan’s bangs aside, thumb brushing hesitantly over the raised mark on his forehead, a familiar pang in his chest.

Aedan’s brow furrowed a bit with worry at his lover’s expression.

“Cullen-”

“I am fine,” the man murmured, shaking his head and letting Aedan’s hair fall back over his forehead with a small smile. Aedan studied his expression for a moment, his crystal blue eyes still swimming with worry. Cullen leaned in to kiss his freckled nose, breaking the anxious look nearly instantly as the Inquisitor let out a laugh.

Aedan tipped his head up a bit to catch Cullen’s lips once more, his hands on the man’s bare chest, sensation no longer dulled by the fabric. Cullen shuddered as the surface of Aedan’s skin chilled, his hands leaving trails of cold in their wake as they traveled over Cullen’s skin, making the muscles in his lover’s stomach twitch at the feeling.

He slipped his fingers beneath the waist of Cullen’s breeches with a soft groan, his chilled fingers squeezing Cullen’s hips.

“Still too many clothes, I think,” he breathed as Cullen broke the kiss. The man nodded with a chuckle.

“I agree,” Cullen murmured, smirking as his fingers found the waist of Aedan’s trousers. He quirked an eyebrow curiously when the Inquisitor shook his head.

“Not just yet,” he hummed, a mischievous glint in his eye that had Cullen’s spine tingling, “I’ve something to show you, first, remember?”

“The ice magic…?”

“Just the beginning,” he purred, “you have seen nothing yet.”

The promise in Aedan’s tone made Cullen’s mouth go dry. He nodded, shifting to lie back against the plush pillows as Aedan slid his breeches past his hips, icy fingers teasingly brushing the skin of Cullen’s thighs and calves as he removed them. He groaned softly.

His pants were tossed carelessly off the bed, Aedan’s eyes roaming over his body, a hunger in his eyes that made Cullen feel more bare than he was.

Aedan crawled over him, straddling his hips once more and kissing his jaw.

“If...it is alright,” he murmured, “I would like to get the oil. And...use my fingers.”

Cullen’s breath caught, his face flushing a bit. Well, that was something new, for certain.

His lover watched him carefully - _bless him for being so patient,_ Cullen thought - and after a moment, Cullen nodded slowly.

A slow smile spread across Aedan’s lips. He pressed a kiss to Cullen’s cheek, reaching under one of the many pillows beneath the larger man’s head to retrieve their small vial of oil. He sat back, uncorking the glass and slicking two of his fingers before setting the bottle aside.

Cullen took a deep breath as Aedan rested his clean hand on his lover’s thigh.

“If you are uncomfortable, tell me to stop, alright?” he murmured, eyes serious. Cullen smiled and nodded.

“I will, I swear it.”

“Thank you.” he kissed Cullen’s knee with a smile, his slicked fingers settling between Cullen’s legs, the tip of one teasing at his entrance. Aedan frowned a bit, “Can you relax for me, love?”

“I...am trying,” he admitted, “I know that I have told you the same thing many times, but...it is much more difficult than it sounds.”

Aedan laughed warmly, stroking Cullen’s thigh with his clean hand once again, “Perhaps I could... _help_.”

Before Cullen could so much as open his mouth, his lover had leaned in, wrapping his lips around the head of Cullen’s cock. The Commander let out a groan at the feeling, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back against the pillows.

The mage slipped the tip of one slicked finger into Cullen’s entrance as he flattened his tongue along the underside of his cock, thrusting the digit slowly and giving his lover plenty of time to adjust. Cullen bit his lip - the feeling was _strange_ , certainly, but...not entirely unpleasant, especially with Aedan’s throat around him - Maker, he was good at that.

Aedan bobbed his head slowly as he crooked his finger, experimentally thrusting it a few more times before adding the second, his free hand gripping his lover’s hip, squeezing reassuringly as Cullen’s breath caught in his throat.

“A-Aedan…” he moaned the Inquisitor’s name, his fingers curling in Aedan’s hair, “Maker’s _breath_ , that…”

Aedan curled his fingers, and Cullen cut himself off with a surprised gasp that quickly dissolved into a needy moan. The mage hummed around him, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth as Cullen panted desperately, uncertain of which direction to roll his hips.

Cullen closed his eyes, blood rushing in his ears. _Maker help him,_ he was already _so close,_ he wasn’t sure he could last long enough for whatever his lover had planned. He opened his mouth to say so, and…

_Freezing_ heat, sparks, he jolted in shock and swore his heart nearly stopped, every nerve in his body alight with intense, _indescribable_ sensation that took him to the edge and threw him over it, his back arching off the mattress as a loud cry was torn from his lips, white flooding his vision, his mind going blank.

His ears were still ringing when Aedan’s fingers slipped free, the mage’s gentle touch in his hair enough to make him crack open his eyes, his face still flushed and breathing ragged.

Aedan smiled down at him, stroking his hair gently.

“I take it you enjoyed yourself,” he purred. Cullen let out a breathless laugh, blinking up at the Inquisitor slowly.

“What...what on earth did you do?” he asked, panting. Aedan hummed quietly.

“Electricity magic, that’s all. Just a bit on the tips of my fingers and my tongue.”

Cullen groaned at that, feeling arousal make a valiant stir in his veins, “Your _tongue?_ ”

“Mmhmm.”

He reached up, grabbing a fistful of Aedan’s hair and pulling him down into a searing kiss, relishing the mage’s desperate moan against his lips. He rolled, pinning Aedan’s thinner frame to the mattress with his bulk before breaking the kiss, still panting softly as he smirked down at his lover.

“That,” he began, slipping one knee between Aedan’s legs, his smirk widening as the mage keened and rolled his hips, “was by far the most incredible thing that I have ever experienced in my life. And I am going to repay you for it tenfold.” Cullen leaned in, nipping the shell of Aedan’s ear, “I am going to pleasure you until you cannot remember your own name, until the only word you can _scream_ is mine.”

“C-Cullen-” Aedan panted, his freckles covered by the deep flush on his cheeks. Cullen hummed.

“That’s a good start, love,” he purred, “let’s see how much louder you can get.”

 

~~

 

Cullen kissed the top of Aedan’s head as they lay together, both pleasantly exhausted, the Inquisitor’s cheek resting on his lover’s shoulder as Cullen’s thick fingers carded through his hair. The Commander smiled softly.

“I love you,” he murmured. Aedan let out a pleased hum, his voice a bit hoarse as he spoke.

“I love you, too,” he smiled, reaching up and cupping Cullen’s cheek. The larger man made a happy sound, leaning into the touch and closing his eyes for a moment, relaxing.

Suddenly, his eyes opened wide, a flush creeping over his cheeks. Aedan blinked.

“...Cullen?”

“...I asked _everyone_ ,” he whispered. Aedan stared at him for a moment.

“What are you talking about, love?”

“Maker’s _breath_ ,” Cullen grabbed one of the pillows, covering his face with it and groaning in embarrassment. Aedan watched him curiously, squinting in confusion before letting out a sigh and shaking his head.

“Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it in the morning,” he yawned, pressing himself against Cullen’s side again and resting his cheek on the man’s broad chest. Cullen squeaked pathetically, the sound muffled by the pillow, and Aedan rolled his eyes with a laugh, “Goodnight, love.”

“...Goodnight.”

Maker, how would he ever explain this?

 

 

 

 

  
  
  



End file.
